305. Off The Rails; movie review
OFF THE RAILS
Cert 15
94 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language
I hate to speak ill of the dead but I was left wondering if Off The Rails would have gone straight to demand rather than cinemas if it had not been Kelly Preston's last film.
Apparently, Preston's co-stars were unaware of her terminal cancer and she certainly gave energy to her performance which belied her grave prognosis.
However, she could not prevent Jules Williamson's film being a seventh-rate attempt to conjure the spirit of Mamma Mia!
This is a buddy movie based around the hits of Blondie - although, thankfully, the cast only sing a couple of their tunes.
Preston stars as an actress who arrives at the last minute to an old friend's funeral, also attended by two mutual pals (Jenny Seagrove and Sally Phillips).
Judi Dench makes a brief appearance as the deceased's mother and then hands the friends a note from her daughter telling them to raise a glass to her at Palma Cathedral's festival of light.
The pals interpret this as a demand for them to complete an Inter-Rail trip of years ago - but this time, their mate's teenage daughter (Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips) will replace her.
All three huff and puff about the impracticalities of a journey at short notice but, inevitably, go ahead with it.
On the continent, they have uproarious drunken nights, fall out lots, have brief romances and bathe in great waves of pathos.
All to the tunes of Heart Of Glass, The Tide Is High, Call Me and others from the Debbie Harry catalogue.
Aside of the naff plot, I am afraid the cast just doesn't gel (Seagrove looks particularly uncomfortable) and their characters are cliched.
I am afraid I watched it and groaned and I write as a man who loved Mamma Mia!
It is a real pity that Kelly Preston's final goodbye should be a film which is so lame.
Reasons to watch: Kelly Preston's last feel
Reasons to avoid: Far too many cliches
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 3.5/10
The final word. Sally Phillips: "It’s a horrible irony that this film is about a group of friends who have lost one of their number to breast cancer, and then by the time the film comes out, we no longer have Kelly, who is so full of life and vivacious and beautiful, and she is the person that makes it look like a proper film, because the rest of us Brits are standing around with our wrinkles! She is a movie star and she looks like a movie star. " Virgin Radio
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